August 2023:
While I have been quiet on my progress for several years now, I am always working on the next album, and I'm no longer attempting to estimate a release date. I do things a little differently than most artists. Derivative is an album that tells one contiguous story and now spans 35 songs, over more than 2 hours. It has now become the trend, in the music industry, to release songs one at a time, to match the attention span of most audiences. I refuse to do so with Derivative. I release albums that are meant to be listened to, in order, in their entirety. I expect all songs to be of the same quality and mixed and mastered to the same standards. If I discover a recording technique that greatly elevates one song, I apply it to all the other songs on the album, that could benefit from it. This is a continuous cycle between all of Derivative's tracks, that has taken years. I don't work on one track at a time; I work on all of them together. One song will not be done until all are done. When the full version of Derivative is released, it will be available on vinyl in a massive presentation of 4 to 5 records, with a full 12" artbook to accompany it. It's meant to be taken in, all at once, as an experience. Every time I expand the length of Derivative, I know I'm pushing back the release even farther, but I'm okay with that. This may be the last album I ever make, and I want it to be perfection. So while you may not hear from me very often, don't let that make you think I've stopped working. I'm always working on Derivative and I intend for it to be worth the wait.